Fight Between Attendants Hold Up Air India Flight With Politicians On Board For 2 Hours

PTI

Mint via Getty Images

HYDERABAD, INDIA - DECEMBER 19: Air India aircraft at Hyderabad Airport on December 19, 2012 in Hyderabad, India. (Photo by Priyanka Parashar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- An altercation broke out yesterday between two flight attendants--a female and a male--inside the cabin of a Thiruvananthapuram-bound Air India flight with 158 passengers including MPs and bureaucrats on board, delaying its departure by two hours and leading to their suspension.

Taking a serious note of the incident, Air India suspended the crew members, pending enquiry, the airline said yesterday.

The incident took place this evening when the flight was readying for Kochi for departure with Thiruvananthapuram being the final destination.

"We have suspended the two cabin crew members for delaying the flight. We will not tolerate any indiscipline at the airline," Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said yesterday.

The airline deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to its passengers, he added.

According to sources, initially it was an argument over some personal issue between a junior male cabin attendant and the second senior female cabin crew after which there was a heated exchange of words.

"However, it turned into heated exchange of words, forcing the commander to intervene. But when they refused to relent, the operations in-charge decided to offload both of them and deploy new crew in their place," the sources said.

Air India on its part said that there was minor altercation between two cabin crew.